Alone
by Sam Close
Summary: Returning from a routine rescue on a normal day. Going home to Tracy Island, a journey they had taken hundreds of times before. Only this time life is turned upside down for one of the brothers, and its not far off for the rest of the family. Vanishing for five years and returning just as strangely, one brother is now feeling out of sync with the others, and very much alone.
1. Chapter 1

A/N Set in Thunderbirds Are Go era. I've had this idea a while but "Encounter" written by homel001 inspired me to write it out, so thanks home1001 :)

* * *

"Good job guys", John's voice came over the intercom.

"Last one back does the dishes for a week!" Scott laughed as he accelerated Thunderbird One to full speed.

"That's not fair!" shouted Virgil smiling, "I'll get my own back!"

Scott smiled, "Oh Virg, just to pre-warn you, Grandma's cooking lasagne for dinner."

"You know you're enough to make a guy turn his comms off" said Virgil, still smiling.

He watched as the glow from One's engines fade to nothing from a pin prick in the distance.

"Hey John can you keep One's silo closed until after I land?" asked Virgil smirking, "its only fair as he's more speed on me!"

John laughed, "I'm staying out of it!"

Virgil liked the banter between him and his brothers on the way home from a successful rescue. It had been touch and go for a couple of hours but they had managed to rescue everyone from the collapsed building, despite the added pressure of it being down to Scott and himself because Alan and Gordon were on another rescue.

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a flash of light that lit up the cockpit of Two which made Virgil look around trying to figure out where it had come from. The sun was behind him so it must have been a reflection from something, but nothing showed on his sensors nor in his line of sight.

"Unidentified craft, you are approaching a private island and violating its airspace. Please alter course immediately or you will be fired upon." John's voice came through his comm with none of the joviality of a few moments ago.

"John?" said Virgil confused, "What the hell? You're not funny."

John did not answer Virgil's question instead repeated his warning.

"John", said Virgil starting to panic, "it's me, your brother Virgil. What the hell is going on?"

"My brother, Virgil, disappeared five years ago," John's reply was curt. "This is my final warning. You have five seconds before I open fire. Identify yourself."


	2. Chapter 2

"John hold your fire!" said Virgil, trying to remain calm, "it _is_ me, I'm Virgil. Check the transponder. It's mine, it's Thunderbird Two's! What the hell are you playing at?"

"The transponder you are using is five years out of date", replied John sharply, "anybody could have got hold of that code, it's that old."

"Look at me then, you can see who I am!" Virgil was starting to think this prank had gone a bit too far.

"Turn on your holo-transmitter. I am only receiving audio." John's voice remained emotionless.

"It is on John!" replied Virgil, checking. "I'm green across the board!" Virgil reached above his head and flicked several switches to reset the holo-transmitter. "Can you see me now?"

"John…." EOS swung around to face him. "The ship claiming to be Thunderbird Two is exactly the same dimensions as Thunderbird Two from five years ago and has exactly the same weight distribution that we recorded moments before it vanished."

"Still no visual being received. Unidentified craft hold your current position."

"Hold position…?" Virgil started to question John, then realised he was only following their agreed protocols. "Holding position. John if you are pranking me, I will get you back. Big time!"

John turned round to a different interface. "Tracy Island we have a situation, at least I think we have a situation."

"Think? What's up John?" Scott answered the call.

"I'm not sure Scott, but I'm glad it's you who answered."

"I have an unidentified ship holding position one hundred and fifty miles from the island," John paused to carefully choose his words. "Scott, it just appeared out of nowhere exactly where Virgil vanished…. and Scott… he says he is Virgil."

"What?!" Scott leapt to his feet.

"I've only received audio transmissions but he sounds like our brother, Scott." John's voice started to break, "EOS says the ship matches Two exactly and its transponder is the code we were using when he disappeared."

"I'm going out in One," said Scott running to his hatch. "John get EOS to send the co-ordinates to One. Thunderbirds are go."

Scott pulled the lamps downwards to access the hanger where Thunderbird One was waiting. He could scarcely comprehend what he was hearing. Had Virgil returned just as mysteriously as he had vanished? They had all searched for weeks trying find a trace of him or Two, a clue, _anything,_ to shed some light on what had happened but nothing had been found. And now he might have returned right where he had disappeared. Scott did not dare to get his hopes up. He had heard how emotional John was, and John was the one who usually managed to keep his emotions in check. He briefly thought about telling Alan, Kayo and even Gordon assuming he would speak to him, but did not want to give them false hope. No, it was better than he checked it out first, alone.

"Scott, could it be Virgil?" John asked, trying to conceal the fact that he was sobbing. "It could be our brother, couldn't it?"


	3. Chapter 3 - Five Years Ago

**FIVE YEARS AGO.**

"Scott!" John's voice carried an unusual amount of panic, "Scott! Virgil's gone!"

"What do you mean gone?" Scott was puzzled, the three brothers had been chatting moments ago.

"He's gone!" cried John, the panic in his voice not diminishing. "One moment he was there, the next nothing. No transponder, nothing on sensors. He just vanished! Gone!"

"John, stay calm," if Scott could have kicked himself he would have. 'Stay calm'?! Could he have been more condescending? It worried Scott that their normally level headed space monitor was panicking.

"John, I know what you are feeling, I feel it too. I'll turn around and see if I can find out anything. Can you let me know when I get to the exact spot you last had contact with Virgil?"

"FAB Scott," replied John slightly calmer, "are you picking up Two on your sensors? Mine are all coming up blank."

"Negative contact," replied Scott, "no sensor contact, no infra-red, no movement, no radio, no emergency locator. Nothing."

"Could he be tricking us Scott?" said John cautiously appearing to regain his composure, "Payback for making him do the dishes for a week?"

Scott could tell by John's tone that he did not believe for a second what he was asking.

"It's a bit extreme John, I doubt even Gordon would go this far so no way Virgil would, not even for a second."

"It can't have happened again" replied John as memories of their father's disappearance came flooding back. "We… I… I… can't lose another one of my family."

The HUD in front of Scott started beeping at him to indicate he was at the last known position of Thunderbird Two. Scott circled outwards methodically from the precise location his brother was last seen to be at. If John in Five had not been tracking their return there was nothing to show that something was amiss. The sky was clear and visibility was fine from horizon to horizon. No wreckage floating in the ocean, no fuel or oil slicks on the surface that might indicate a crash. John was right, Thunderbird Two had simply just vanished.

A couple of hours later, Scott was still flying widening circles over the ocean and was now behind Tracy Island. He had been trying to cover as much of the ocean as possible using the least amount of fuel, but now his low fuel warning which had been blinking at him had also started beeping.

"Scott, you've covered a two hundred mile area from his last known position," John still checking all the sensors Five had available "including past the island and my sensors can reach over thousand miles further around that and there is no movement of any unknown aircraft within range of my sensors. Even Thunderbird One isn't fast enough to cross an area that size without being noticed."

"How far down into the ocean have you been scanning?" Scott suspected he already knew the answer. "I have to return to base, I'm nearly out of fuel."

"All the way to the ocean floor," replied John, "and there is nothing there that wasn't there before."

"I'll refuel and return to the search," said Scott, "alert the others and designate search patterns for each of them."

"FAB Scott," John stopped for a second, "what if…"

"We will find him John," Scott's reply was firm, he knew he needed to say what John needed to hear. "Virgil's out there somewhere. People don't just vanish."

Scott flew back to the island, he knew people did vanish; their father had and John knew that. He had an uneasy knotted feeling in the pit of his stomach that Virgil was not going to be found, not that he was going to tell the others that. He hoped with every fibre of his being that he was wrong. He desperately, desperately wanted to be wrong.


	4. Chapter 4 - Five Years Ago Pt2

"Thunderbird Four entering silo," Gordon tapped the controls that allowed the computer handle the rest of the docking with the launch and recovery area for his 'Bird on the island.

"Docking complete. Water cleared. Powering down."

Gordon climbed out of Four and made his way to the main living area, stopping only for a change of clothes.

As Gordon walked into the main living room, he knew immediately the others had been arguing because he could feel the tension in the room.

"…because the decision is mine to make." Scott was getting irritated.

Gordon did not need to ask what they were talking about, the only thing they had all talked about for the past three weeks since the 'situation' – the search for Virgil and Two. Scott's trouble thought Gordon, was that he sometimes would forget he was no longer in the GDF, but would act as though they were his unit and was in charge of them. Scott seemed to forget sometimes they were a family not a military unit.

"Whatcha talking about?" said Gordon thinking it seemed a good idea to ask before jumping to conclusions even though he knew already what they were talking about, what else would they be talking about.

"Scott wants to stop searching for Virgil," said Alan glaring at Scott.

"What!" Gordon exclaimed. "We've only been searching for three weeks and you want to stop already?"

"That's not what I said," Scott was getting annoyed. "I said, that we have found nothing at all despite searching a seven thousand mile radius from where he was last seen. It might be time to start scaling back the search and start concentrating more on the rescues we can handle because without Two we are limited in what we can do."

"Like Hell we're stopping," exclaimed Gordon, "I am not even close to stopping my search."

"Gordon, we've have found nothing," said Scott, "how long do we search for? How long can we keep going, hoping we find something?"

"As long as it takes," Gordon's reply was defiant.

"Well, I'm in charge of International Rescue and it's my decision," yelled Scott. "And my decision is we scale the search back."

"Who put you in charge?" Gordon stood up glaring at Scott, "Dad was our Commander. Just because he's gone and you're the oldest, that doesn't put you in charge."

"I'm most senior in International Rescue after Dad," yelled Scott, his voice getting louder.

"Senior?" scoffed Gordon, matching the volume of Scott's voice. "Most senior? I didn't know we had ranks!"

Alan and Kayo exchanged glances, neither willing to intervene in this argument. That would have been Virgil's territory if he was not missing, but the argument would not be happening if he was here.

"I have news for you Scott!" Gordon's face was getting redder the more he shouted, "WE ARE NOT IN THE MILITARY!"

"Luckily for you!" yelled Scott sub-consciously clenching and unclenching his fists. "You would be up on a charge if you were!"

"Oh go and polish or salute something," Gordon turned and started walking away.

"Gordon!" Scott shouted his eyes filled with anger, "Gordon! Get back here now! I haven't finished!"

Gordon stopped and turned, "I'm going to continue looking for our brother, y'know the one who's missing?"

With that, Gordon walked out of the living room and towards the silo where his beloved Four was waiting.


	5. Chapter 5 - Five Year Ago Final Part

As Gordon disappeared around the corner, Kayo stood up.

"I'm grabbing a coffee, anyone else want one?" she said trying to break the tension that hung in the air.

"No..." Scott glanced at her then back to corner that Gordon had just walked around, "thanks".

Alan just shook his head and sat staring ahead. Kayo could tell that what he had just witnessed had upset him. Alan might be the youngest, she thought, but he hates seeing his brothers arguing which was getting worse the longer Virgil remained missing.

Kayo walked into the kitchen area and saw Grandma Tracy sitting at the island in the middle holding her head in her hands, silently sobbing.

"Grandma?" Kayo rushed over and wrapped her arms around her and spoke softly. "We didn't know you were here, I'm sorry you just had to listen to that."

Grandma lifted her head, her eyes were puffy from the tears that continued to roll from her eyes and down her cheeks.

"My family is tearing itself apart," she sobbed, stopping to wipe her eyes and nose. "And I can't do anything to stop it."

Silent sobs turned into bigger audible sobs so Kayo pulled a stool over to sit next to Grandma so she could keep her arms around her.

"Oh Kayo, if only Virgil was here," sobbed Grandma, "he has always been able to stop any arguments and fights between his brothers even as a toddler. He would march up to them and tell them to say sorry and be nice to each other, and nearly always they would. It's a knack he's always had, like he's the glue in the middle that held them all together. But now he's gone."

She lifted her glasses and wiped her eyes again.

"I can't say anything to Scott because he will think I'm taking Gordon's side," Grandma looked at Kayo, "and I can't say anything to Gordon because he will think I'm taking Scott's side. And it breaks my heart to see them arguing like this."

"Virgil certainly had a way of remaining neutral to get everyone to calm down didn't he," Kayo smiled as she remembered the times she had been on one end of a 'Virgil diplomacy talk'.

"How about a cup of tea?" Kayo stepped around behind Grandma Tracy, flicked a switch above the worktop and placed a mug under a nozzle just as hot water started to flow out of it. She wrapped the string of the teabag around the handle and passed it over.

"All my grandchildren have their strengths," said Grandma taking a sip of the tea, "and all their strengths fit together and complement each other including you, Kayo and it is your combined strengths that makes International Rescue what it is.

She paused to take another sip of tea.

"And one of Virgil's strengths was he could keep the rest of you in balance though there have been times when each of you hasn't appreciated that."

"Grandma," Kayo felt she had to ask the question despite how much Grandma Tracy was hurting. "What if Virgil is never found? How can we… how… _do_ we keep the family together?"

Grandma gulped. "I have to live in hope, kiddo," she replied quietly, her sobbing lessening. "Like with their father and now with Virgil, I have to have hope that one day they will return to us. I know can't keep the family together on my own without someone thinking I am taking another's side and I fear our family will suffer and if that happens, so will International Rescue."

She paused to wipe her eyes again and took another sip of the tea.

"It would be different if they had been killed on a rescue. There would be closure, but this… this not knowing is what gnaws at you inside. It gives me an empty ache deep inside me, not knowing where they are, if they are alive, if they are ok. And that ache never goes, never leaves me and it could consume me with sadness if I was to let it but I have to be strong for everyone, and for myself. But my heart longs to hear their voice once more, to see them walk into this room, to be able to hug them again."

Kayo put her arm around Grandma Tracy's shoulders again and gave her a quick hug.

She took another sip of the tea, "and as I said a minute ago, it really breaks my heart to see my grandchildren, brothers, arguing with such anger toward each other."


	6. Chapter 6 - Virgil's back

Thunderbird One blasted out of its hanger and set course to intercept the unidentified craft claiming to be Thunderbird Two. This is going to be one of the shortest non-test flights in a long time thought Scott.

As Two came into sight, Scott felt butterflies in his stomach which was unusual for him. He had hoped for this moment to happen every day, every minute for the past five years and now he felt nervous, no, he felt _very_ nervous. No, he actually felt very apprehensive. If this is Virgil, where has he been for five years? How did he just appear at the exact spot he disappeared from without being tracked? He had not had the time to listen to the conversation John had recorded despite it being short.

"Thunderbird One to…. Thunderbird Two…?" Scott's voice trailed off as he approached his destination. There it was. Right in front of him, Thunderbird Two just as he remembered her, but where had she been?

"Scott?" Virgil's voice came through the comm, "boy am I glad to see you! Want to tell me what the hell is going on?"

"All in good time," Scott replied, "first turn your holo-transmitter on and then tell me how you got here."

"Not this again!" Virgil sighed, "It is on, at least my panel says its on. And I got here flying back with you from a rescue. The collapsed building in Austria? That a sink hole opened up underneath and brought the building down? We were there less than two hours ago, though John seems to think it was five years ago."

"What's the last thing you remember?" asked Scott, levelling One so it was nose to nose with Two and he could see Virgil sat in the pilot's seat.

"Last thing I remember?" Virgil repeated before continuing, "it was a few minutes ago, you wanted to race me back to the island and make me do the dishes for a week, and said Grandma is cooking lasagne tonight."

Scott flipped a switch. "John, I'm satisfied enough not to shoot him down here. I'm going to escort him to Mateo island and get Brains to do further tests on him and the ship there."

"Is that wise Scott?" asked John, "if that isn't Virgil and is some imposter, he'd be close enough to Tracy Island to attack the base."

"I can't do much else out here over the ocean, only ask question after question," Scott had made his mind up, "at least on the ground we can run tests on him and the ship and get some answers."

"FAB" replied John, "will you be okay with just Brains? Alan and Kayo aren't due back til late tonight. EOS can handle things up here, want me to come down?"

"Might not be a bad idea John, oh and ask Brains to join us on Mateo." Scott knew the real reason John wanted to come down; he wanted to be close by if this was their missing brother.

Switching the channel back to Thunderbird Two, Scott spoke. "Thunderbird Two you will accompany me to Mateo island where we will verify your identity that you are who you say you are."

"What?! Are you having a laugh Scott?" Virgil could not believe what he was being told. "It's gone a bit too far now guys."

"No one is laughing or playing a joke," replied Scott, his voice sounding serious. "If you are indeed our brother, you have been missing for five years. The conversation you had with John and I that you say was a few minutes ago is really five years ago for us. And people don't normally just disappear then reappear in the exact same spot five years later."

"If that's happened, how has it happened?" asked Virgil worried.

"That's what we are going to try to find out," Scott slowed his speed as the ships approached Mateo island. "Transmitting landing co-ordinates and instructions to you Thunderbird Two. Follow them precisely."


	7. Chapter 7

Virgil landed Thunderbird Two at the co-ordinates given to him by Scott. He knew the quarantine procedures as well as the rest of them. So Virgil had sat in the cockpit of his 'Bird until Brains' voice came through the comm.

Isolation protocols. Uniform off and into a sealed pouch. Gown on. Sit in the chair in the plastic tent and let it take you to the isolation bay. They all knew what to do, they had all practiced regularly in case anyone was exposed to an unknown pathogen, or other nasty that could be potentially dangerous to everyone else.

Only this time it was different.

Scott and John were watching him, like hawks staring at their prey.

Virgil felt like an exhibit at a show, everyone lining up to look at him but not talking to him.

Finally, the usually calm and placid Virgil had had enough.

"Someone just say something," said Virgil with a bit more anger instead of annoyance which he had been trying for. "Talk to me, this is just as weird for me too you know."

Scott and John glanced at each other. Virgil thought he saw some grey hairs showing in Scott's otherwise brown hair.

"We just want to know where you've been," Scott spoke slowly, "you don't look any older despite disappearing for five years."

"I've not been anywhere," said Virgil exasperatedly, "but you and John have gotten older, that I can see. To me, one second I'm following you back from a rescue the next five years have passed by. I'd like to know too, y'know?"

"What do you remember?" It was John's turn to say something.

"What I've already told you!" Virgil sighed. "Flying home from Austria. Scott racing ahead to get out doing the dishes. You saying Grandma was doing her lasagne. I asked you to keep his silo doors closed until I'd landed. Then you started calling me unidentified."

"That's it?" asked John stepping closer to the window of the isolation room. "Anything else? After all, for you… this was only a few minutes ago."

"No nothing," said Virgil closing his eyes.

"Think!" commanded Scott, sounding more authoritarian than he had intended. "There has to be something, anything thing else you remember, or saw, or heard, or … or... I don't know… something!"

Virgil sighed, "we were a few hundred miles out from getting home."

"Anything else?" Scott fired back quickly, "then what?"

"No. You wanted to race."

"Anything else? Then what?"

"No. You flew off, racing ahead."

"Anything else? Then what?"

"No. Last one home does dishes for a week."

"Anything else? Then what?"

"No. I _jokingly_ ask John to keep your silo doors closed until I had landed."

"Anything else? Then what?"

"No. John calls me uniden…. No… Yes..." Virgil sat up staring at his brothers. "Yes there was something else. A flash like a camera flash or like the sun reflecting off something for a split second."

"What?" Scott sounded confused, "We were alone, apart from Tracy Island, nothing was within a thousand miles of us when you vanished."

"How could I forget that?" Virgil did not hear Scott, "how could I forget that, that flash? How could I forget that until just now?"

John looked at Scott and back to Virgil as he spoke quietly, "Virgil, you and Scott were alone, we've gone over all the sensor data from Five and One hundreds of times. Every scrap of sensor data we have been able to find, even data from weather satellites has been analysed with the latest equipment we have. You were both alone."

Virgil looked back at John and said, "now you have new data. Maybe my 'Bird will give us the answers."


	8. Chapter 8

"Alan slow down!" Kayo shouted running after Alan as he sprinted towards the living room, "you could let him rest and see him in the morning?"

"No way," came the reply from around the corner. "I have to see him. There is so much I have to tell him Kay."

"I'm going with you then," said Kayo sitting in the seat next to him just as it started the journey to Mateo Island. "Scott and John said to keep it brief, and he could be out of isolation in a day or two so you can catch up properly then."

"I know what you're saying Kay," replied Alan turning to look at her, "but I have to see him myself. Talk to him. Oh has anyone told Gordon?"

"You know as much as I do," Kayo took Alan's hand, "why don't you call Gordon in case no one else has told him?"

"I want make sure it's him first," said Alan as the seats started to slow, "I know the others are sure but I want to make sure too."

Kayo just smiled. Alan had grown up a lot in the past five years, but a lot had happened since Virgil had vanished. Sometimes Alan would just do or say something in a certain way that reminded her why she had more than a soft spot for him, and although it had taken Alan a while to notice and just as long to do anything about it, but when he had it did not take long for them to grow a lot closer.

The seats stopped at the platform on Mateo Island and Kayo stood and started walking, however Alan just stood there.

"Alan?" Kayo stopped and turned. "It's okay to be nervous.

"We've all wanted this day for so long," replied Alan, "I had so much to tell him but now I don't know what to say."

"Just go with what feels right then." Kayo took a couple of steps back and reached for his hand and took it firmly, while smiling at Alan, "I'm sure he'll be glad to see you."

They walked along the corridor to the isolation room in silence, both knowing what the other was thinking and feeling. They entered the door code to access the secure area that led to the isolation section, and walked to the window of the room where Virgil was lying on the bed.

"Alan! Kayo!" Virgil yelled happily as he stood up. "You've… Wow you've grown!"

Alan just stood at the window staring, here in front of him was his missing brother. His brother who looked exactly the same as he had the last time he had seen him. Alan had always imagined how it would be if, no, not if when, Virgil had returned and what he would say to him and now that moment was upon him it was totally unlike anything he had imagined and his mind had gone blank. It was not meant to be like this. It was meant to be a beyond-ecstatic occasion that would quickly heal all that had happened since he disappeared. It took a poke in the back from Kayo to bump him back to the here and now.

"Uhhh… hi," said Alan awkwardly. "Umm… how are you?"

"Five years Sprout," Virgil was smiling, "and that's the best you can come out with?"

Alan looked down at the floor, "a lot's changed Virgil, since you, uhhh... you know… uhhh… disappeared. Things haven't been good. We've needed you."

Alan's voice trailed off which suddenly made Virgil feel like he was not being told the important things that had happened in the years he had missed.

"Alan?"

"I dunno. Ignore me. Now's not the right time anyway."

"Alan, if you don't tell me, so help me when I get out of here I'll…"

Kayo stepped forward "Virgil wait until you're out of here okay? We'll tell and show you everything that's happened then, at least you will be comfortable and not stuck in here maybe wanting to know more, more than we can just say?"

"Why won't you tell me now?"

"Okay what if you don't like it, not saying you won't but just supposing, what then? It will make you feel worse being stuck in here."

"Its worse not knowing. Everyone is keeping things from me and that's making it worse."

"I can't…" Kayo started just as Alan found his voice again.

"To us you've been gone five years. We've had to deal with everything that's been thrown at us, and at the same time wondering where you are. Wondering if you're alive. Wondering what had happened same as we used to about Dad. Not knowing anything. Things happen Virgil, things change too."

Virgil stepped up to the window, and he could see the tears starting to form in Alan's eyes. "At least you had those five years Alan, I didn't. I've missed out on all of that. All of it. I need you guys to fill it in for me."

"Not now okay? Just not now. Wait until you're out of there." Alan swallowed heavily as Kayo took his hand and her eyes caught his. A few minutes ago he had been like an excitable teenager again eager to see his big brother and tell him everything but as soon as he had got there, the more mature Alan had taken control again and Kayo knew that version of Alan would not want to do a brief history of five years in under five minutes but would instead be at a loss to know what to say and do. He had tried to take on some of Virgil's unspoken roles but was not the natural peacemaker that Virgil had been. However he would have time to adjust as the good news they had all been hoping for had finally happened, Virgil was back.


	9. Chapter 9

**ONE WEEK LATER**

Virgil stepped out of the door being held open by Scott, pausing only to take a deep breath.

"Thanks jailer," smirked Virgil, "I can have my freedom now?"

"Ok smart-ass. Let's get you back to base, we have some catching up for you unless you'd rather stay in your new pad?"

"Answer me one question," said Virgil not so much asking as demanding, "Where are Gordon and Grandma? I haven't seen either of them since I've been cooped up in here."

"Let's get you back to the island, then we can answer all the questions."

"Or you could just tell me now!" Virgil stopped walking, "What's going on Scott? Tell me!"

"Okay." Scott stopped and sighed.

He turned and walked the few steps back to where Virgil was standing.

"Both are gone."

"Gone?" Virgil repeated not wanting to believe the conclusions his mind was jumping to. "Gone? You mean… _gone-gone_ , no longer with us gone? Or not on the island, gone?"

Scott stood staring at Virgil for a few seconds. He could tell him the answers to his questions now but they had all agreed to wait until Virgil was back on Tracy Island and everyone was there with Lady Penelope and Parker due to arrive any minute.

"You want to do this now?" asked Scott throwing his arms out, "Everyone is back home waiting for us."

"Yes… No… Yes… I want to know," said Virgil shaking and nodding his head at the same time, "I want to know."

"Fine. Grandma died just over two years ago," Scott's eyes were brimming with tears.

"H-H-How?"

"She went to bed and never woke up. She never really got over you disappearing. She tried to be the Grandma we all loved but she was different, you know like she was carrying a great sadness around with her. I guess what with Dad, then you vanishing and what happened with…"

"Can't believe she's gone," sobbed Virgil interrupting Scott, both had tears running down their cheeks. "Why didn't you tell me before? That was so wrong not to tell me. Cruel even. I'm never going to be able to tell what she meant to me."

"We thought it would be better to wait until you were out of here. We thought it would've been worse for you being stuck in here. At least now you can say goodbye to her and take flowers to her grave or something."

Scott found trying to reassure Virgil did not come easily and he felt awkward.

"Come on, let's go home," said Scott putting his arm around Virgil's shoulders, "We can tell you everything else there."

"And Gordon?" asked Virgil, wiping his eyes.

"Gordon was…" Scott struggled to find the words, "Gordon was… is… Gordon doesn't live on the island anymore."

"What? How?" Virgil looked at Scott, trying to get some reassurance, "He's okay though, right?

"As far as I know."

"As far as you know? What the hell sort of answer is that?"

Scott spoke quietly, "the best one I can give you right now. There was a big argument and he left."

"What the hell has happened while I've been gone?" Virgil could not believe what he was hearing.

"I think he still speaks to Alan occasionally," Scott sighed, "but the rest of us never hear from him."

Virgil was about to speak when Kayo's voice came over the intercom, "Guys? Lady Penelope has arrived. How much longer are you going to be?"

"Kayo, we're leaving now," Scott spoke into his comm. "We'll be there in less than a minute."


End file.
